Tennis Favorites: Tennis Bracelets, Sun Sleeves & Cooling Towels

 

I’ve been playing tennis since I was very young. It’s my main sport and one of my main sources of exercise. I play a few times a week and really love it. So, I thought it would be fun to write a post about some of my favorite tennis things.

Tennis Bracelets: You know when you hear about something and you wonder to yourself: “Why is it called that?” The tennis bracelet is definitely one of those things. It’s typically a thin, simple, yet elegant diamond bracelet. Looking at it doesn’t make you think of tennis. So where did the name come from? There is actually a pivotal moment in sports history that launched the name. American tennis player, Chris Evert, whom I’ve had the opportunity to meet and is one of my favorite players of all time, was wearing her diamond bracelet while playing at the 1978 US Open. During a match, her bracelet broke and fell and she asked to stop the match to pick it up. After the match, she was asked about it during an interview and she called it her “tennis bracelet.” And with that, the diamond bracelet started to be called a tennis bracelet. I’m not really a jewelry person, but I love tennis bracelets. They are so classic and go with everything. You can wear it playing tennis and wear it for a dressy occasion. Just the perfect accessory and a great gift for someone who plays tennis!

Sun Sleeves: The reality is that in Southern California, I spend a lot of time in the sun while playing tennis. I grew up in New England playing a decent amount of indoor tennis. Indoor tennis really doesn’t exist in Southern California. So, if I’m playing, I’m outside often during the strongest sun exposure times. Wearing sunblock can be so annoying. You need to reapply it and considering it gets on your hands, doing it on the court when you are about to hold a racquet, isn’t the most ideal situation. About ten years ago, I was in a sporting goods store when I noticed  Nike UV Protection Sun Sleeves. I decided to try them out and was immediately hooked. They are lightweight and the white color reflects the sunlight, helping to keep me cooler. They fit perfectly with good stretch and stay in place. I wear them from my wrist on up to just under the beginning of my short sleeve. So, my arms are totally covered. I've tried other sleeves and the Nike ones remain my favorite. I can’t recommend these sleeves enough!

Cooling Towel: Playing tennis in the hot sun can really take a toll on me. I’ve found that using a cooling towel, makes a big difference in how I feel. I discovered the Arctic Cool instant cooling towel a couple of years ago and really recommend it. I just soak it and take it to the court with me in a plastic container or bag. Then when I need it, I pull it out, snap it in the air and put it around the back of my neck. I feel so much cooler and refreshed. I never head to the courts without it! This is also a really practical gift for really anyone who participates in outdoor activities.

There you have it. Three of my favorite tennis things!

I am not compensated for links in this post

Currex Acepro Insoles - Review

 

My name is Elizabeth and I have flat feet. When I get out of the pool and walk along the pool deck, my kids tease me that my wet footprints look like they belong to a duck. My feet have been through a lot over the years. I’ve participated in sports my whole life, on all kids of surfaces: ice, snow, grass, dirt, clay, wood, cement. In school, I earned varsity letters in field hockey, cross country and tennis. As I got into my twenties, I started to really notice foot pain, especially in my arches. Or should I say in my non-existent arches? I went to a podiatrist who fit me for custom orthotics. I also found out that as well as having flat feet, my feet over pronate (see image). [For an overview of pronation vs supination, click here]Custom orthotics help a lot, but they are expensive and don’t fit well in every type of sports shoe. I’ve constantly kept my eye on innovations in the “sports insoles” category and was really intrigued when I was offered the opportunity to try out CURREX ACEPRO Insoles. The CURREX site is really informative and includes tools to help you figure out which of their sports insoles is best for you. Nowadays, I play a lot of tennis and I want sports insoles that are designed to help me on the court. CURREX ACEPRO Insoles were developed to handle extreme loads of force and abrupt changes in movement during sports like tennis, pickleball, and basketball. I put my order in and waited for them to arrive. Shipping is free on orders over $49.95 and my sports insoles arrived in four days.

They are sized in a range of shoe sizes so it will be likely you need to trim them down. I had to trim mine and it was really easy. Once I had them fitting perfectly in my tennis shoes, I went for a walk. The first thing I noticed was the heel cup gave me extra stability that I don’t have with my orthotics. I also appreciated that the ACEPRO Insoles aren’t as thick as my orthotics so they didn’t crowd my foot as much and allowed me to tie my shoe tighter. I felt the arch support but it wasn’t as aggressive feeling as my orthotics. Next I went to play tennis with my son. We played a set and I was very comfortable. I think one of the biggest things I felt was extra stability which I attribute to the heel cup and the overall structure of the sports insoles. Next I tried them in some of my other “sports footwear” and was especially happy that they fit in my spin shoes. My orthotics are too thick to work in my spin shoes. I have included photos of the ACEPRO Insoles and my custom orthotics (as you can see, they've gotten a lot of use) below so you can see a side by side comparison. Overall, I appreciate the versatility of this size/design of sports insoles. The biggest thing I appreciate is the price. At $59.95 for the ACEPRO Insoles as opposed to over $500 for orthotics at a podiatrist, there is no contest. I look forward to getting lots of use out of my new sports insoles! 

Because I get asked: My favorite brand of tennis shoes are K-Swiss. They make great shoes for all types of court sports. (I don't earn anything from referring to products linked in this post)

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Wordless Wednesday–Red Sox Win The World Series

 

 

Pete Rose: Hits & Mrs. on TLC

When I read the e-mail inviting me to attend a lunch here in LA with Pete Rose and his fiancee, Kiana Kim to talk about their new docu-series, Pete Rose: Hits & Mrs., my initial reaction was: no. Then I thought, well, maybe? Pete Rose, baseball great. Now banned from baseball for gambling. To understand my visceral reaction, it might help if I give you some background: My parents are sports fans and baseball played a big part in my childhood. I started collecting baseball cards, purchased with my father at the neighborhood corner store, when I was in nursery school. We went to minor and major league games. Winter vacations to Florida always had to occur during Spring Training. I was a baby when my father caught a ball at Candlestick Park—I was there—so they tell me. Baseball figured prominently and still does with my husband and kids. I guess I felt Pete Rose had let me (and a lot of the country) down.

I have an image of Pete Rose in my head, it’s from one of his baseball cards from my childhood. Pete permanently frozen in an awkward looking bunt position. Fast forward a decade to the summer of 1989 and the announcement that Pete was declared “permanently ineligible from baseball” for betting on games. This means that Pete cannot work for Major League Baseball or anything associated with it. It also means being barred from induction to The Baseball Hall of Fame. You can look up Pete Rose and see his accomplishments and statistics. You can also look up The Dowd Report which documented Pete Rose’s “transgressions” against baseball. In the twenty plus years since Pete’s ineligibility, the country and the sport of baseball have been through a lot. Attitudes change and new controversies have hit the sport. Foremost of those is steroid use. Maybe you look at the cheating that comes from a player who uses performance enhancing drugs. Then maybe you look at Pete’s contention that he only bet on his own team winning while he was manager of the Reds and therefore never tried to lose a game. Pete had a gambling addiction. He was an addict. Addicts can overcome their addiction with help and determination. It gets harder to separate the wrong from the cheating from the damaging America’s game. I am not, thankfully, required to decide whether Pete should be reinstated. I can tell you that Pete wants to be reinstated.

I got a sneak preview of the first two episodes of the six-episode series, The Family Hustle and There’s No Crying in Baseball (click links to watch the full episodes online) which show Pete and his fiancee Kiana Kim raising Kiana’s two kids, planning to get married and Pete being all about baseball. He states clearly that he knows what he did was wrong and that he wants to get into the Hall of Fame. Kiana is pleasantly interesting to watch. In the episodes you see that she owns her own home, is focused on her kids and is smart. It is a reality show and Pete and Kiana’s reasons for doing it are probably numerous. I think one reason is that Pete wants to be heard.

Like any normal person, I crowd sourced the decision to meet Pete and Kiana. I took to Facebook with: “I'm debating whether to go meet with Pete Rose tomorrow.” The overwhelming response was: “go!” So, I went. It was a small gathering at Sisley in Sherman Oaks. Mostly sportswriters and reporters. We all gathered around a table in one of the private dining rooms. Pete and Kiana along with Kiana’s daughter Cassie sat in the middle of the long table. Italian food served family style. Pete talking away, answering questions while eating a salad. It was really cool. Yes, Pete wants into the hall of fame. He and Kiana tell us an upcoming episode shows them in Cooperstown (location of the Baseball Hall of Fame) with Pete staying outside while Kiana goes in. You can see Pete loves baseball. He has “Hit King” embroidered on his collar. He watches three games a day during the season. Regarding criticism of the show launching so close to the Hall of Fame balloting (which had taken place the day before and resulted in no one being selected), Pete said there is no good time of year. It’s either Spring Training or the regular season or the playoffs or the World Series or…So, mid-January seems fair. Pete told us he gets texts from players asking for hitting advice. He makes a point of watching their games and following up with them. I kind of pictured players passing Pete’s cell phone number around the locker room upon hearing a teammate say, “I gotta work on my swing!” As a mom who also works in Hollywood, I asked Pete and Kiana if they had concerns about putting Ashton, 11 and Cassie, 14 into the spotlight of a reality show at such typically “complicated” ages. This gave me a really touching insight into Pete and his relationship with the kids. He said that they talked about it and will continue to talk about it. That, “high school kids might make fun of you” and they will deal with it as a family. Kiana said that Cassie was homeschooled and chose to go to public high school. That Cassie is also interested in acting. Fair enough I thought. Pete took a picture with me and gladly signed two baseballs. One for me and one that I am donating to a silent auction to benefit public education. He signed them “Pete Rose #4256” representing his major league leading career hits. I love my Pete Rose signed baseball.

Pete was born the same year my father was. Kiana is closer to my age. They say wisdom comes with age. With life experience comes perspective and maybe Pete has benefitted from it. He genuinely cares about Kiana’s kids and seems to actively participate in their lives. You may come to the show because you want to see Pete or Kiana, but maybe we can all come away with some understanding and appreciation for a family who invited us into their lives. As for my decision to go to the lunch? I’m really glad I went to meet Pete Rose.

Pete Rose: Hits & Mrs. airs Monday nights at 10pm.